The present invention, generally, relates to a projected-image visual systems with screens and/or mirrors having large radii for exhibiting projected images and, more particularly, to a light-weight structure for providing service to such screen or mirror interior viewing surface of a simulator dome.
As high performance aircraft become increasingly complex, the need for more extensive and specialized training increases also. Today's sophisticated flight and mission simulators trace their genealogy back to the first flight trainers developed by Edwin A. Link, Jr. in the 1930's, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,825,462.
In the 1960's, flight simulator designers turned to digital computation techniques to solve the technical problems associated with the simulation of complex, high-performance aircraft, which proved to be a technological breakthrough, because it permitted the development of complete visual scenes by means of a computer. At this point in time, it was the practice in the simulation industry to provide visuals by using cathode ray tubes positioned at each window of the simulated aircraft.
However, with the present-day aircraft, windows are much larger, and in some aircraft such as the F-16, a transparent bubble permits a pilot to view a scene from horizon to horizon, more than 180.degree.. The decade of the 1970's has brought a new set of unique challenges to the flight simulation industry in its attempt to provide simulated visual scenes which match realistically the real world conditions.
Just before the end of the decade of the 1970's, a significant breakthrough was achieved in the provision of a first practical segmented dome structure, which is the subject of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 362,710 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. Since that time, additional structures for the provision of a realistic dome-shaped visual screen for receiving a projection-type image have been suggested, most of which by the assignee of the present invention.